Sainen
by Cella N
Summary: The world as she remembered was not like this. Trapped in a decayed village, Sakura remembers the Konoha from before, and struggles to survive. On the road with her is one former labexperiment, and one former massmurderer. SAKURA. PEIN. YAMATO.


**A/N:** Fallacy requested this crack threesome after she'd written an awesome, gorgeous SaiSaku for me. I honestly didn't think I could write this. Surprisingly, it had started off as crack, but developed into a complex story about struggle, oppression, politics, war and hope. The characters might make it a bit cracked up (I mean, come one, PeinSakuYama??), but I hope I've dealt with it sufficiently well for it to be taken seriously. If not, I'm throwing pillows at you all.

* * *

**Sainen**  
_from the Japanese, n.: revival, resuscitation, recurrence_

* * *

"Is it me, or does he look exactly like that Deidara guy?" Sakura asked, holding the tip of her pen against her mouth. She had a file to fill, but at that moment, she was too busy watching the cell where the most dangerous criminal ever to walk the Earth resided. Sooner or later, he'd be moved to a more tight-security compound, but as of now he had a reserved cell in the best Bed & Breakfast in town: the jail.

"It's just you," Yamato answered from beside her, inked brush sliding over his scroll. He was calm, and maybe a bit bored, but he'd never say it aloud. Not even three years of training Naruto had gotten the man to admit emotions such as boredom, or exhaustion.

Thoughts of Naruto always brought back painful memories, and Sakura tried to stay away from them. Very away. Two years and she still hadn't gotten over it. She made a small noise of disproval, and looked away from the cell's bars. "I don't think I'm wrong this time."

"Do you plan to interrogate him?" Yamato asked, blowing on the scroll so that the ink could dry. If it were a normal day, Sakura would roll her eyes at how trapped in the traditional ways of writing her was. And if it were a normal day, he'd simply shrug and say he wasn't one to get used to those pen-thingies.

"Well, it's what we're here _for_, aren't we?" Sakura snapped, closing her notes. "Why else would we be heads of Interrogation department if not?"

"Because the Hokage wants us as far away from him as possible, because we're among the few remaining from Tsunade's generation of faithful followers, because it's cold down here and he hopes we freeze to death? Pick one," he said, dully rolling the scroll.

Sakura gave him a look. "Your optimism is starting to piss me off. Seriously, one of these days I might kill you out of rage and do the Hokage a favour." It was incredible how a name she'd once said with admiration, she now spit out with disgust.

"You'd do him and myself a favour with that," he said, looking at her. Then he gave her a small smile. "But then you'd be alone."

He was right. He was too right, and it hurt. She chewed the inside of her cheek, and stood up brusquely. "I'm going to interrogate him," she said, and her tone admitted no protests. Not that he would give them. He knew when to stop, at least.

------

The cell was dark, hardly any light coming inside it, except from the sunrays filtering through the cracks in the ceiling, and the ventilation window. It was moments like these when Sakura mostly hated her life, and what had become her job.

To be the head of the Interrogation Department would've been a great honour, back in the days of Morino Ibiki. But now, when all they interrogated were low-lives, petty thieves and supposed traitors to the village, it—quite frankly—sucked. The cells were cold, the prisoners were colder, and Sakura never knew exactly what to do, what to say, and how much of the conversation to inform the Hokage about. The man, a military despot, had turned so paranoid over the years, that many ninjas left Konoha, preferring to be missing-nin rather than to serve him. Security was tightened, more rules and regulations were given out, and Sakura had started to think that even living with the Akatsuki would've been more pleasant. Or not.

Along the years, since Tsunade's death at the hands of the present Hokage, Sakura had seen her friends either leave, disappear, or die. As Tsunade's apprentice, and having surpassed the Sannin in skills and power, the Hokage had immediately restricted Sakura to gravel work, or hospital work, or even given her a post in the Interrogation department, with hopes that she would not rise against the leader of Konoha. She was kept as far away as possible, because many feared the day Sakura would decide to avenge her mentor's death. To ensure Sakura's 'loyalty', they threatened her with killing her family, her friends, and executing all her former team-mates under charges of treason; in the end, Sakura bowed her head, and accepted.

Slowly, her friends began to disappear. Naruto was sent on a practically suicidal mission in Sound, and never returned. His name hadn't been placed on the memorial stone, and Sakura still hoped. Yet all evidences pointed to his death. Weeks following that, Sai was sent on the same mission, to recover Naruto's body. Sakura herself had gathered all her money, and hired him for that—the Hokage could not refuse. Sai never returned, either. She was left alone, and Yamato found her one morning, visiting the memorial stone and crying next to the names of Hatake Kakashi and Shizune. He joined her on the ground, paid his respects to his old ANBU captain, and promised him to take good care of his only student alive. From thereon, he and Sakura had been inseparable, in the sense that all their jobs had been together.

But the friends kept going. Hyuuga Neji was sent to be interrogated for treason, and Sakura had provided him means to escape Konoha. The man had left promising to compensate her, when the time came. Hinata was trapped in her duties as the Hyuuga heiress, and hardly ever got the chance to speak to Sakura. And even when they did, they ended up fighting over Naruto's supposed death. Half of Sakura's old academy classmates were either dead, or missing in action. Slowly, all her friends were gone from Konoha, and from Sakura's life. Her parents, also, died during a mission. Sakura didn't cry at their funeral. She was too busy thinking that, now that the Hokage had nothing to threaten her with, she'd be the next to be killed. And then, much to her surprise, she'd been given the rank of Head of Interrogation Department, probably in hopes that she wouldn't betray the village, or leave it.

Not that she could leave it. She had nowhere to go, and no-one to go with, except for Yamato.

Which brought her into the present day, standing in front of the most dangerous and notorious criminal ever. Said criminal was tied and restrained tightly by binds, rope, chains and even wire, all of them infused with chakra so he could not escape. Sakura was not afraid. "Pein," she said, crouching in front of him.

He opened his eyes, grey like steel, and observed her with a quiet interest.

"Welcome to hell," Sakura said, and began her interrogation.

------

"You know, I don't think he's that bad," Sakura said, pinching an over-boiled carrot with her fork. "He's more like…an anti-hero, than a villain."

"I think this just answers the ever-pressing question of when Sakura will go mad," Yamato commented, not so cheerfully, but looking interested nonetheless. "What did you ask him?"

"I asked him why he looked like Deidara, and he said that it was because it's his body," she answered, waving her hand dismissively. "Something to do with a jutsu, or his own special bloodline. He can transfer his soul into different bodies, as long as they're dead bodies. I think it has something to do with his piercings, too."

Yamato nodded appreciatively. "And when, between interrogating him, and analysing his fashion sense when it comes to piercings, during these two weeks you've been with him in that cell…did you come to the conclusion that he is an anti-hero?" he asked, giving her a flat look.

Sakura returned the same look. "We have spoken about the Akatsuki," she said, shrugging. "He's not against speaking about it now, since it's become an extinct race. Actually, I think he's the last one living. I really wonder how our shinobi managed to catch him alive, when not even Jiraiya-sama managed."

"Knowing our Hokage, it probably had something to do with backstabbing," Yamato answered, not afraid to voice his opinions, since they were only in Sakura's apartment, and no-one listened there. Aside from Sakura herself.

"I'm beginning to think he _allowed_ himself to be captured," Sakura murmured, after a moment of silence.

"That he has ulterior motives to this? Perhaps he plans to invade from within the village. Or maybe he's after the Hokage," he said. "He should pick a number and stand in line," he muttered, speaking Sakura's own thoughts. "Think of it logically, Sakura. Why would he want anything to do with a village in ruins?"

"Maybe he's thinking of rebuilding the Akatsuki," she said, shrugging slightly. "Maybe he's recruiting. Seeking out the weak-spirited ones, to control. He's playing the prey role, until someone falls into his trap. Or maybe he's just lonely." Like her. Like Yamato. Like anyone in Konoha that still remembered the golden days.

"Well, he has the time. They won't be executing him until they find out the way to use his jutsu," Yamato said, sighing as he finished his food. He leaned back into his chair, and looked at Sakura. He took in how unhealthy and thin, and tired she looked. How she'd turned into a mere flicker of what she had been, previously. The weak-spirited ones made easy victims. "Would you join him, if his intentions were to build the Akatsuki again?"

Sakura looked up from her plate with a hard look in her eyes. "My loyalty is with Tsunade, with Kakashi, with my team-mates, and my old companions. My loyalty is not with this…hypocrite cunt who dares call himself Hokage," she spat, angrily. "Yes. I think I would. I would join him, because I'd be doing the same with the Akatsuki, the very same thing I do here. I'd interrogate innocent people, I'd condemn them to death, and I'd watch old friends perish. But at least with the Akatsuki I'd be free to chose who I kill, and whose lives I spare."

"I would follow," Yamato admitted quietly, his hand reaching out to pat her cheek gently. "Be careful with him the next time, Sakura. You're the weakest target, and he knows it."

She gave him a small smile, and nodded. She placed her hand over his, and looked him in the eye. "Tenzou," she murmured, using the name she hardly ever used with him. "Stay tonight."

------

Two months passed slowly, between the rare interrogations and even a few prisoners that had to be tortured. Normally, Yamato handled the torturing, and Sakura healed them for another round. Two months turned into three, and the routine was starting to be noticeable, on both. They'd spend their days—and sometimes nights—in the Interrogation department. Over this time, Sakura had started to get her top prisoner to talk more. Frankly not giving a damn about her job, or pleasing the Hokage, she resorted to making her interrogating time with Pein, for the lack of better words, pleasurable.

"Okay genius, seven letters, a word for…red," she said, balancing her chair on its back legs as she stared at the crossword in front of her.

"Akatsuki," came the answer from behind the bars.

"Very funny, Pein, but that's eight letters," she snapped, filling in 'crimson' in the crossword. "Don't tell me you've gotten nostalgic."

"It's a possibility," he answered, calmly. "I miss the daylight. The sun."

Sakura held the tip of her pen against the paper, pausing for a moment. The she stood up from her precarious position, and stepped in front of the bars, leaning in and looking at his sprawled figure on the bed. He looked tired. She was tired. "I miss it too," she admitted, leaning her head against the bars.

"You see the daylight and the sun each day," he said, lifting his head to look at her. "It's the thing it symbolises what you miss. The freedom."

"Mm," she said, pulling away from the bars, and taking a seat again. "Stop reading my mind. I thought we'd made a deal about that. You don't act creepy around me, and I bring you pillows."

"This pillow is not soft," he said, after a while.

"Well, it's the only pillow I found at home that wasn't being used by _me_, princess," she snapped, scribbling on the edge of her paper.

"You don't know what soft pillows are, then. If I were free, I'd show you—"

"Why, because the Akatsuki only slept on fluffy things?" she snapped. "I bet they were made from slain bunnies or something."

"We may have been criminals, Sakura, but we had more commodities than you," he answered, his tongue rolling around her name in a sinful way.

She looked up from her paper. "This is a jail, smart-ass. _Any_ place has more commodities than this place."

"When was the last time you've slept in a bed that smelled of fresh roses, instead of the stench of fume and war and hypocrisy?" he asked, rising up from his bed, and coming to stand in front of the bars. Sakura didn't worry, there were enough restrictions put on him to keep him from escaping. Plus, even without Yamato present at that moment, she could still kick his ass easily.

"Are you trying to use the idea of pillows to recruit me?" she asked, raising an amused eyebrow. "Because that strategy is _not_ working."

"What makes you think I'm trying to recruit you?" he asked, raising his own eyebrow.

She stood up from her chair, and walked to the doors of his cell, her hands wrapping around the bars, just under his own. She leaned in slightly. "What are you trying to do, then? What have you been trying to do since you came here?"

He moved his thumb over the skin of her knuckles, his eyes holding her gaze. "To seduce you."

Sakura blinked, flabbergasted, and pulled away sharply. She straightened out her blouse and gave an incredulous laugh. "It's not working."

"Oh, is it not?" he asked, tilting his head ever so softly—if he hadn't looked like _Deidara_, maybe she would've felt a bit more attracted. "I think it is," he whispered, grinning dangerously at her. Screw looking like Deidara, she still felt attracted.

Sakura gave a soft shudder, and turned back to her desk, pretending she hadn't just been close to playing with fire. "You're not my type," she answered, giving him a beatific smile.

"But you are mine," he said, his voice slithering slowly around her ears. "Have been, since I saw you fight against Sound, at the side of your mentor. You've been my type since you crumbled an entire building to pieces in rage, when your old sensei died."

If you took away the fact that he was using a sensual voice to describe all the painful moments of her life, it was creepy. "You've been stalking me?" she asked, giving him a look. "That's creepy. No more pillows for you, mister."

"Yes, I've been observing your progress, Sakura. I've been watching it even before Konoha turned into a wasteland, even before Danzou took over, and before you lost all your…friends. I've watched you, and I've made Konan watch you, when she was alive. We both agreed that you'd grow up to be a wonderful addition to our group."

"Excuse me if I don't feel flattered," she said, dully. "You must've been insane to think that I would've joined you."

"Maybe you wouldn't have, then," he said, looking at her in a way that said 'you would've done whatever I told you to'. "But you would, now. Help me rebuild Akatsuki, Sakura."

"And there we have it! The question I knew you'd make," she said, raising her hands to the ceiling. "I don't _do_ evil crime organizations."

"Why not? You work for Danzou," he said.

"It's different."

"How is that different?"

"Because I'll work hard until he thinks I'm trust-worthy, and gives me a post as his assistant. And then I'll use that to backstab him, just like he did to shishou," she said, looking at him fiercely.

He licked his lips, quirking them up into a lazy smile. "This is the reason I've watched you for so long. This potential."

"Then why seduce me?" she asked, shrugging as if his words weren't affecting her. She went back to her crossword, pretending the discussion was over.

"I've been imagining it," he spoke, after a while. "Imagining the day I'll take you." She did not look at him, she _refused to_, and he continued. "I'm debating on the location. It's a tie between a bed, or against the walls of this prison cell. Either way, I know your skin will be soft, and your muscles will tense whenever I touch them. And I _will_ touch you, Sakura." God, why did he have to hiss out her name like that? "I'll taste the skin on your neck, I'll bite into your shoulder until I draw blood and leave a mark. And then I'll rip your shirt apart—"

"That's enough," she snapped, standing up from her chair before she started to _squirm with arousal_ or some shit.

"—and fondle those breasts. I'll slide two fingers into your opening, and you'll be so wet and tight that I'll have to fuck you right then and there. And by the time I've lifted you against the wall, you'll be so aroused and needy that you'll wrap your legs around me and _beg_—"

"I do not _beg_," she growled, pointing at him threatening. "Stop it!"

"I'll slide inside, and it'll be like going home, Sakura," he continued. "I'll be gentle for one minute, so you can adjust, and then I'll tell you to hold on tight, and fuck you into the wall, until you break it, or make it crumble."

"I swear I'll _kill_ you if you don't shut the hell up," she snarled, stomping towards his cell-door.

"I thought I'd warned you against violence towards our prisoners," Yamato's voice interrupted from the entrance.

Sakura jumped, looking at her once-captain with wide eyes, and hoping to God he hadn't heard anything. She shifted from one leg to the other, bowing her head to the man. "I'm sorry."

Pein, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it. He looked at her with a smirk that said 'I know how wet you are now', and spoke: "We could let him join, if you want," he said, nodding towards Yamato.

Sakura glowered at him, and rushed out of the room. "Bathroom, be right back!"

Yamato stared at her back as it disappeared, and then turned his head to look at the prisoner. "Pein."

The prisoner looked at him, a satisfied grin on his face. "Tenzou."

The older man clucked his tongue disapprovingly, and took a seat. "Well?" he asked the prisoner, whom by now had retired to his bed.

"She's almost in the bag," he answered. "Perhaps it is time you show her that report."

Yamato nodded, satisfied, and opened a scroll. "I thank you for doing this. When the plan begins, you will have your life spared."

"I know, I know," came a dispassionate answer. "Contrary to popular belief, I won't _mind_ not being the leader, for once. I have nothing to lose by joining your little pitiful group."

"Our little pitiful group is soon to become vastly known. We will change the course of this corrupt world," Yamato calmly replied, not looking up from his work. "Consider joining us somewhat the equivalent of repenting for your past crimes."

"I doubt I won't be killing anyone in _your_ group of saints," Pein answered. "You can think you're doing Konoha a favour, but in the end, you'll be doing what I had planned to do, with the Akatsuki. Only with more rainbows and puppies."

"I sense resent," Yamato dully quipped. "You're too late to retreat now. You've already joined, and we will kill you if you so much as leave. I'm sure Sakura would do the honours herself, when it comes down to it."

"Hah. That woman…remind me again why _I_'m in charge of seducing her to your side?"

"We're testing her loyalty to whom she claims she's given it. Once she passes, you can stop seducing her."

"I don't know," Pein said, after a while. "I enjoy getting those reactions out of her. I might not stop." There was silence, and the noise of a brush snapping in two. Pein chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Don't worry, Tenzou. We can share."

------

It was late at night when Yamato got to talk to Sakura. He was waiting in her kitchen, while she took a shower. Under the light of a table-lamp, he arranged his reports in chronological order, so that she could read them as soon as she came out. The water in the bathroom stopped pouring, and a door opening and closing was heard.

Yamato stood up, and went to her bedroom, knocking politely at the door. "Sakura, are you done?" he asked, poking his head inside.

She was just finishing tying a robe closed around her waist, her hair wet, dripping into the silky material. For a moment, Yamato wished he could forget about those reports. For a minute he also wished he'd never given her that robe. He stepped into the bedroom, walking towards where she stood. He was tempted to lift a hand and run it over one of the trails the water had left on her robe, but decided against it. Instead, he picked up his shirt from the floor and pulled it on. "I have something you must see," he told her, and lead her into the kitchen.

Three hours passed until Sakura finished reading the entire mass of reports. Most of them were encoded messages, some in the form of a letter directed to someone named 'Yuji'. Some were printings of dark figures, with the words 'WANTED' scrawled under them. All of them spoke of a new organization—supposedly criminal—coming from the lands of Kirigakure. So far, they hadn't done much, aside from taking over a few crucial villages when it came to strategy and commerce. Surprisingly, all those were villages that Konoha had deals and traded with. Reading on, Sakura realised a pattern to the description of some of that organization's members. Tall, blond, with almost fox-like features—that was the leader. Tall, black-hair, user of strange ink-based jutsus—that was the leader's companion. Sakura kept reading, her heart beating faster by the moment. She read the messages, and their decoding, with Yamato's help.

Phrases like 'how is Sakura', and 'keep her spirits up', and 'soon, we'll be together again', and 'she'll have her chance to avenge Tsunade-baa', kept appearing, and Sakura kept getting closer and closer to a heart-attack.

"They're alive," she said when she finished reading. "They're _alive_," she cried out, laughing hysterically.

Yamato smiled softly, his hand placed over hers. "They've always been alive, Sakura. They never died, they just perfectly covered their steps. We have a plan to end Danzou's era, but we need to know if you're with us."

"Of COURSE I'm with you, you IDIOTS! Why the hell do you even have to _ask_?" she shouted, glaring at him angrily.

"To make sure, Sakura. Danzou is close to naming you his assistant, now sure that you won't betray him. We needed to make him believe you'd been brainwashed enough to join him, and we had to make you believe that you had no-one else to rely on but him. But everything is coming down to an end, Sakura. Let me tell you of our plan."

Sakura lifted a hand. "Tell me later. First, I have to kill you for knowing they were alive and not _telling me_."

------

Two days later, Pein woke up when something was thrown at his face, hitting it straight on. He discovered it was a very fluffy pillow.

"There, sunshine. My goodbye present," Sakura said from behind the bars.

Pein stood up, coming to stand in front of her. "Leaving?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep. Going up. I've been ascended," she answered.

"Ah, your dreams coming true," he drawled, leaning forward until his face was close to hers. "I shall be missing you and your crosswords, Sakura," he said, hissing her name out sensually, before pressing his lips against hers. It was only a chaste kiss. Pein didn't feel the need to expand on it there, knowing that he'd have time for that later on. "I'll be seeing you."

"Yeah, right," she answered, pulling away with a bewildered face. She didn't look like she believed it.

Which only made it better for Pein.

------

Konoha had only been invaded twice before: once by Sound, and once by Danzou's army. The third time it had been invaded, no-one considered it an invasion, really.

It was a fine spring morning, and the sky was a greyish blue. Birds chirped, and ninjas fought. The morning had been quiet, until a blond man came to the gates of Konoha, and raised his hand. The ninjas at the gate instantly recognized him, and paled. The man only spoke once "pick your side now". They did what any man or woman that belonged to the old Konoha, anyone who remembered the man in front of them, would've done. They picked his side.

Slowly, silently, the man slid through the village's streets, asking the same question to anyone he saw. Those who joined him, walked behind him. Those that raised their swords the moment they saw him, were killed. In other corners of the city, the same thing happened. A silent looking man asked the same questions. Those who tried to oppose him, we killed quickly by ink clones. In the Hyuuga household, the same thing happened. A once lost member of the branch appeared, but he never got to ask the question. The moment she saw him step inside, Hinata spoke "your side".

While the whole of Konoha was being silently taken over, while an army of Konoha's once esteemed fighters re-entered the city, while the third invasion was taking place, the Hokage—Danzou, was having breakfast. His new assistant, a lovely pink-haired woman that would one day make a good wife—he thought—was taking notes on something he dictated.

He had just finished dictating her his letter to Sound, and taking the last sip from his tea, when the noise broke out. "What is that?" he asked, alarmed.

"That would be the sound of your men fighting against ex-ANBU members, former Konoha shinobi, missing-nins, and Naruto," Sakura answered dully, looking up from her letter. "Is there anything else you want, Hokage?" she asked.

The man spluttered, jumping from his seat and looking ready to fight. A man of the military, Danzou had always been sure that if an adversary ever arose, it would be Sound, or Sand, or another country, trying to openly confront them in a war. He never expected the revolution would occur from the inside, and he never imagined how many enemies he'd gather. When he ran to the balcony, to analyse the damage, he was surprised to see that on his streets, were all his loyal men, and all of them were dead. From below, Naruto glowered at him, his army of friends and followers behind him.

Danzou felt faint, his vision leaving him. His legs failed him, and he fell to the floor, his mind wrapping itself around the idea that he had lost. His empire had been ruined. He started to cough just as Sakura kneeled in front of him.

"And that, is the sound of your intestines burning from the inside," she said, slowly. "I tried to come up with a good poison that would make you suffer. I thought it was only appropriate, for how you killed Tsunade-shishou. Backstabbed by whom you thought was loyal to you." She grabbed his swollen face, and brought it close to hers. "How does it _feel_, Hokage-_san_?" she spat, then let go of his face. Danzou began to cough out blood, just as Sakura rose from the floor. "In two minutes, you'll lose eyesight as your brain will start to suffer blood loss. Hopefully, your head will explode, but who knows."

With one last look of disgust at Danzou, she turned her head to look at a wall, until she heard how he took his last breath. She refused to look at the mess her poison had made of the man. She had more important things to see. Like her best friends, thought dead, waiting for her downstairs.

Sakura ran.

------

"Alright, genius. A six-letter word for 'bad for the body'."

"Sakura," came the amused answer.

"Very funny, Pein. I almost laughed myself to death," Sakura bit out, glaring at the men on the couch. "Tenzou, tell the pain-in-the-ass to stop comparing me to poison or I'll have him executed."

"You tell him, Sakura," came Yamato's answer from the bathroom. "You're the Hokage, make your authority be known."

Sakura looked pointedly at Pein, raising an eyebrow. "Heard that, princess? I'm the Hokage. Respect my authority or else I'll throw you in jail."

"If you visit me, I won't mind," the man—once the most dangerous criminal alive—answered, stretching on the couch. "I never did get to fuck you in a jail-cell."

Sakura rolled her eyes. It had been only half a year since Konoha had been restored back to normal. Half a year since the sun had started to shine again, and Sakura had been finally free of her monsters. After the battle that day, Naruto and Sakura planned the ways to restore Konoha to its grace. For three months, Naruto remained in the village, together with Sai, and they'd been a team again. After those three months, however, the blond man told Sakura he still had other business to attend. The group he'd raised during Danzou's dictatorship was still waiting for him, and Naruto had decided he'd be a leader to it for as long as it took. Their goal now was to, with that organization, liberate any country, village, or town which was being oppressed by someone like Danzou, and restore the order and the peace.

Maybe his goal of being Hokage hadn't come true, but Naruto had admitted that with time, even goals changed. And his purpose now, was to help those in need. So he took off, but not before naming Sakura as the Hokage—the Council of elders had nothing to say against it (especially since they feared the woman would poison them too if they denied)—and leaving her with a few helping hands. And those were namely Pein, who Naruto said, Sakura could control properly, and make sure he wouldn't try to rise another crime organization.

So far, the man seemed happy to have recovered his own body—he did look nicer without looking like that dead Deidara guy—and with being the Hokage's help. Sakura relied a lot on his judgement, like strategy, or political decisions. Pein's insight on the matter, topped with Yamato being there to calm them down whenever Sakura and the ex-Akatsuki leader got into a heated philosophical fight; that completed the triangle of power that ran Konoha nowadays. Things worked just fine.

"Hey, I got a letter from Naruto," Sakura announced, standing up to get dressed for her meeting with the Coucil. She threw a pillow from her armchair at Pein head, giving him a pointed look. The man grinned dangerously, and crossed his arms, letting her know that he had no intentions to look away while she changed. She sighed, frustrated, and took off her blouse, blushing when Pein winked at her. "He says he's finally found a name for the organization," she continued, her voice faltering a bit.

"Oh? And what is he calling it?" Yamato asked, coming out of the bathroom and joining Pein on the couch.

"Sainen," she answered. The three shared an approving nod. It was suiting, the name. Because that's what Naruto's group did: it revived cities, through revolution. It saved lives, by stopping those who took them.

"It's still not as grand as Akatsuki," Pein commented dryly.

"Well," Sakura snapped. "At least we have fluffier pillows."

* * *

**A/N:** All hints towards threesome, or any variation of the threesome have been left as exactly that: hints. If you don't count the tiny chaste kiss they share, you could never tell if the three of them are going at it together, or not. I did this completely on purpose. I want to give the readers an oportunity to imagine whatever they want: that they either end up as friends, just like they 'started', or that they live together and spend a long long time having sex that is hot, and sweaty, and that Sakura becomes a manwich (man sammich) more often than not, and that it probably involves the use of walls, desks, kitchen counters, showers, and more occasionally than not, beds. Whatever you want! (A note that Sakura is of age in this fic. If you try and do the maths, she'd be around 24. She was 22 when Naruto disappeared.) Also don't ask for sequels. THERE. WILL. BE. NONE. 


End file.
